12 Libyan troops killed in fighting with Daesh

– Pro-unity government troops killed in operation to expel Daesh from stronghold in northern city of Sirte

By Jabbour Dokn

SIRTE, Libya (AA) - At least 12 troops from Libya's UN-backed unity government were killed and 40 wounded during battles with the Daesh militant group in the northern city of Sirte on Friday, a medical official said.

Abdul Aziz Issa, the director of the Information Office of the Central Hospital of Misrata, told Anadolu Agency that the hospital was struggling to cope with the number of patients it was receiving and needed international support because of medical supply shortages.

Pro-government forces said they had taken control of Sirte's port and the al-Sawwara as part of an operation to expel Daesh from the city, which had become its stronghold.

The operation, called al-Bunyan al-Marsoos, began last month after a December agreement by various Libyan militia functioning under Libya's unity government.

Daesh had controlled Sirte, 450 km east of capital Tripoli, since January 2015 after it forced out militias that had controlled the city since the overthrow of former military ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

*Anadolu Agency correspondent Ali Abo Rezeg contributed to this story from Ankara.